


Rest (of our lives)

by WildWolf25



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate title: Local Workaholic Finally Takes a Damn Break, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Shiro's birthday, Shiro's birthday comes once every four years and Keith makes SURE he enjoys himself, one tiny smidge of hurt/comfort, the title isn't very good I'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22947109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildWolf25/pseuds/WildWolf25
Summary: He very nearly forgets about it.To be fair, a lot has happened in the past couple of years.  Dates are always on his mind in the form of deadlines and meetings.  But birthdays… sort of slipped through the cracks.  Until, that is, he tried to sit up and put on his socks.“Mmph,” Keith cracks a sleepy eye open at him.  “What’re you doing?”“Getting dressed.”  Shiro doesn’t see the problem.  “Got a meeting with Iverson in about a half hour, then cadet flight instruction until noon, then lunch with some Olkari dignitaries—”Keith stares at him for a moment, then sits up.  “Shiro, what day is it?”  He doesn’t sound confused, or if he does, it’s an externally-directed confusion rather than internal.  Like he thinks Shiro is the one forgetting things.“Saturday?”  But they don’t get Saturdays off.  Or most Sundays.  Not when there is so much going on in the universe.“The…?”  Keith prompts him slowly.“Twenty-ninth.  Of February.”  Suddenly it dawns on him.  “Oh.”
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 81





	Rest (of our lives)

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so sorry, Shiro, this is painfully short… I had to write something for my boy, though!

He very nearly forgets about it. 

To be fair, a lot has happened in the past couple of years. He went to space multiple times, became a paladin, fought an evil space dictator, literally died and came back to life, and witnessed the rapid and drastic shift in Earth’s relationship with outer space and extraterrestrials, a transition that they are  _ still  _ working through. Dates are always on his mind in the form of deadlines and meetings. But birthdays… sort of slipped through the cracks. Until, that is, he tried to sit up and put on his socks. 

“Mmph,” Keith cracks a sleepy eye open at him. “What’re you doing?”

“Getting dressed?” Shiro doesn’t see the problem. “Got a meeting with Iverson in about a half hour, then cadet flight instruction until noon, then lunch with some Olkari dignitaries—”

“No you don’t.” Fingers curl into the back of his undershirt and tug on him, gentle yet firm. “Come back to bed. For at least another hour, then we’ll talk.” 

Shiro chuckles at him and leans down to lay a peck on his forehead. Keith does not look amused or placated by the gesture. If anything, his nose scrunches up in annoyance (rather adorably, but Shiro wouldn’t dare to say it aloud). 

“Sorry, babe, but we’ve got work,” Shiro reminds him. “Aren’t you running Trials on some new Blades today?” 

“Tomorrow,” Keith tells him. “I rescheduled them. Just like I rescheduled your meetings.” 

Shiro freezes. “You what?” He blinks, confused and – if he’s being honest – a little hurt. Keith went behind his back and changed his schedule without asking him? “Why… why would you do that?” 

Keith stares at him for a moment, then sits up. “Shiro, what day is it?” He doesn’t sound confused, or if he does, it’s an externally-directed confusion rather than internal. Like he thinks  _ Shiro _ is the one forgetting things. 

“Saturday?” But they don’t get Saturdays off. Or most Sundays. Not when there is so much going on in the universe.

“The…?” Keith prompts him slowly. 

“Twenty-ninth. Of February.” Suddenly it dawns on him. “Oh.” He blinks, then shakes his head. “Keith, I can’t just take the day off because it’s my birthday. We have so much to do. I don’t have time to waste on me—”

“Taking time for yourself is never a waste,” Keith cuts him off with a frown. “And you never do it. And you never  _ will  _ do it, unless someone tells you to. So listen to me, and listen to Commander Iverson and Commander Holt – who, by the way, were definitely on board with the idea of you taking the day off when I brought it up with them.” He reaches out and takes ahold of Shiro’s hand. “Everything is already rescheduled for either tomorrow or later in the week. Things will still get done on time. The only appointment you need to worry about is our dinner reservation tonight. Just relax and come back to bed, and we can spend the rest of the day however you want.” His lips quirk up in a flash of a smile. “You don’t even get that many birthdays to begin with, leap baby. You can’t pass up this once-in-four-years chance to celebrate on the actual day.” 

Keith tugs on him gently, trying to draw him back to bed, but Shiro still feels conflicted. Was this right? Maybe it isn’t too late to call the dignitaries and apologize? Was it selfish, to take this one day off? 

As if he can see the doubts whirling around in his head, Keith sighs through his nose and tilts his chin down. “Don’t make me pull the age card, Shiro.” He fixes him with a glare that looks stern on the surface, but is undercut by the mirth in his eyes. “You’re seven and I’m twenty-five. Listen to your elders and come back to bed, now.” 

It’s so unexpected that a burst of laughter bubbles out of Shiro before he can stop it. Like anyone born on a leap day, he has had people make jokes about his ‘age’ before – most notably his parents presenting him with a Tyrannosaurus-decorated  _ Happy 4th Birthday, Big Boy! _ card before taking him to the DMV for his driver’s license exam – but no one has done it in a while, and certainly not like this. 

He stifles another laugh as he finally steps closer to the bed. “Wow, Keith, had no idea you were such a cougar. Actually I think that bypasses cougar and gets into the territory of—”

“Don’t make it weird.” Keith pulls a face, and Shiro laughs at him again as he climbs back into bed. 

“I can’t help being immature, I’m seven.” Shiro slides under the blanket and resumes his spot cuddled up to his husband. 

“You’re ridiculous is what you are.” Keith mutters, but there’s an underlayer of fondness in his voice. He tucks his arms around Shiro and pulls him to rest his head on his chest. 

“So how did Iverson react, when you went to reschedule our meeting?” Shiro asks.

“I think he was pissed for a second or two, but then he realized it’s  _ you  _ and you never take days off even when you should, so he agreed you absolutely deserve it,” Keith says, trailing his fingers up and down Shiro’s arm absentmindedly. “Commander Holt overheard us talking and backed me up. Then the two of them helped me deal with the rest of the rescheduling and spreading the appointments out so that we didn’t create a hell for you tomorrow.” 

“I appreciate that.” Shiro smiles. “I’m not surprised Commander Holt was on board. He and Matt threw a little surprise party for me last time, when we were about halfway en-route to Kerberos. They gave me some powdery, freeze-dried astronaut ice-cream molded into the shape of a six. It was a mess – crumbs were floating in the zero-G air for weeks after that.” He laughs a little at the memory, then grows quiet. “It’s really crazy how much has happened in the past four years. Kerberos, Voltron… and the war hasn’t even been over for a year. It’s crazy.” His smile slips as he realizes one other, very big thing that happened. “I almost didn’t have another birthday,” he says quietly. 

Keith’s steady movements on his arm go still for a few moments, then he wraps an arm around him to pull him closer and drop a kiss onto his forehead. “Then that makes this one even more precious. And all the ones after it,” he says softly. “And I’m gonna be right here by your side for all of them, for the rest of our lives.” 

Shiro feels a warm smile soften his expression. “Will you still be with me when I’m old and gray with aches and pains at twenty-five-slash-a-hundred? Ah, wait,” he chuckles dryly and runs the fingers of his prosthetic through his starlight-silver hair. 

Keith looks down at him, a touch concerned but also used to Shiro’s gallows humor by this point in their relationship. “Yes,” he says simply, cutting through all of Shiro’s internal worry with that one single word. “And you’ll be just as beautiful, just as strong, just as infuriatingly perfect, as the day we met. And I’ll love you just as much.”

Shiro doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just leans up to kiss Keith, letting the kiss convey all the words he doesn’t know how to express. Their left hands find each other, somehow, and their wedding bands – a Damascus-like pattern of blended luxite and titanium – meet with a quiet clink as they slot their fingers together. 

When they finally pull apart, Shiro finds his words. “Thank you,” he whispers. “For that, and for today. Guess you know what I need better than I do, sometimes.”

“You know what you need,” Keith tells him seriously, despite the small twitch of a smile on his lips. “I just make you listen to you.” 

Shiro chuckles and settles down once more with his head on Keith’s chest, fingers still threaded together. “So, what else do you have planned for today?” 

“Other than dinner at seven, it’s all up to you, birthday boy,” Keith says. “I humbly request we sleep for at least another hour, though, since you set your alarm for the ass-crack of dawn.”

“You did not tell me you were doing this,” Shiro reminds him. How was he supposed to know to turn off his alarm?

“I’m not good at surprises,” Keith snorts. “Anyway, the day is yours. Any ideas?”

“Hm,” Shiro lets his eyes fall closed again as he thinks it over. He’s always tired in the mornings, but this is the first time he’s had the option to actually go back to sleep after waking. “Sleeping in sounds good. Lazing about and cuddling after that. Cheesy omelettes for brunch? Then maybe we can take some hoverbikes out for a ride, race around the desert like old times.”

“I won’t go easy on you just because it’s your birthday,” Keith warns. 

“As if I’d want you to,” Shiro snorts. “And then, I don’t know, we’ll see where the rest of the day takes us.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Keith hums, hugging an arm around him and kissing the top of his head. “Happy birthday, Takashi. I love you.”

Shiro smiles against the beat of Keith’s heart under his cheek. “I love you too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> It makes a grand total of one (1) appearance but I put considerable thought into their wedding bands because I am a metalwork nerd. Damascus steel is a hella strong technique that has been lost to time and we only have guesses as to the true technique. It creates an absolutely gorgeous pattern in addition to being sharp and strong as heck. For their rings, they used luxite, of course because of Keith’s personal history with the Blade of Marmora and to represent all they went through together (and apart) in space. And titanium, their earthly element, is bio-compatible (hence its use in biomedical engineering and implants), very lightweight (why it is used it many things that fly, and they do a lot of flying), and not only does it resist corrosion, it does so _because_ it reacts with oxygen instantly by creating a very hard, very thin barrier that protects the metal, and is sometimes called “self-healing” because even if you scrape off that barrier layer, a new one instantly forms. Very appropriate and symbolic for them, both as individuals and together in their relationship. ~~How am I getting sappy over METALS wtf~~
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you liked it! I've also got a [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gold-leeaf) if you'd like to follow me there. Thanks again!


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